The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-04-20

| to keep them from poisoning the air, Will rot
| in the face of the sun at monday. Industry
in her plain frock will be unappreciated,
while thousands of men will wander in idle
ness, with their hands OH their hips, saying
Tie world owes us living" ., what a tire
mendous power there is in iniquity when un-
educated, and unreStrained, and unblanched
| it goes on concentrating. and deepening, and
widening, and gathering momentum until it
swings ahead with very triumph of desola-
ton, drowning like surges, scorching like
flames, crushing like rocks! What are you
going to do with this abandoned population
Of the streets! VIII You gather them in your
| Churches: Its not the will OF your Heavenly
| Father that one OF these little ones
| should perish. Ii you have ten respectable
| children in your class, gather in ten that are
| not reSpectable If in your Bible-class there
| be twenty young men who have come from
| Christian homes and elegant surroundings,
let those twenty young men 60 out and
gather in twenty more OF the young men OF
the city who are lost to God anu LOST 10 SO So
ciety This outside population, unless ed
Gated and restrained, will work ter
| ror in ages that are to come.
Years ago, at New Orleans. when the cholera
was raging fearfully, steamboat put out just
before nightfall crowded with passengers
who were trying to escape from the
pestilence. After the boat had been out a
little while the engineer fell with the cholera
The captain, in consideration went
'.Is there any one here who knows
anything about engineering!" A Swarthy
man replied: II am an engineer" ''Well, "
said the Captain, 81 would be very
glad if you would take charge of this boat"
The man went to the engine. Tine steamer
moved more rapidly, until, after awhile, the
Captain and some passenger were alarmed b
- - HNHx fI ,nf-
ter, and they found that this was maniac
engineer, and that he was peeping
down the safety-valve; and, as they
came to him. he said: 81 am commissioned OF
Satan to drive this steamer to hell!' and he
lourished his pistol, and would not come
down. But after awhile, through some
stratagem, he was brought from his position,
and the lives of the passengers were saved.
O, my friends! that steamer had no such
unrestrained children of this land shall
come up in their ignorance and their crime
to engineer our civil and religious institu-
tions and drive them on the rocks. Educate
this abandoned population, or they will over
throw the institutions OF this land. Gather
them into your Sabbath-schools. l con-
gratulaue you that many have been
gathered Go forth, teachers, in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
on the coming Sabbath may there be
found gathered scores and hundreds of these
wanderers, and instead of eighteen hundred
in the Sabbath-school, we shall see three
thousand or four thousand, and the grace of
God will come down upon them, and the Holy
Spirit will bring them all into the truth.
Another characteristic of a live church Is
one with appropriate architecture. In the
far West and amid destitute population, a
log church is very appropriate people
living in log houses. But in communities
where people live in comfortable abodes, a
church uncommodious or lacking in beauty Is
a moral nuisance. Because Christ was born in
a manger is no reason why we should worship
Him in barn. Let the churches of Jesus
Christ be not only comfortable, but ornate.
Years ago we resolved to have comfortable
church. We resolved that it should be amphi-
theatrical in shape. The prominent archl-
tects of the country, after figuring on s the
would not be churchly, and they would have
nothing to do with the enterprise.
But after awhile we found an architect will
ing to risk his reputation. He put up for us
the first tabernacle, in amphitheatrical style
We liked it. All who came liked it: This
building followed in the same style. we be-
lieve it IS appropriate and adapted. An an
gular church will have an angular theology
The Church of Jesus Christ ought to be great
family circle, the pulpit only the fireplace,
around which they are gathered in sweet and
domestic communion. But when our first
tabernacle went up, o the caricature and the
scofing! They said: "It's hippodrome
It's holy cirdus It's Talmage's theatre !"
But the Lord came down with power upon
that old building, and made it a gate OF
heaven to great many. And this building
followed That we were right in .persisting
in the style of architecture is proved
by the fact that now there gre sixty or
seventy churches in the United States
in the same style. Indeed, our tabernacle has
revolutionized Church architecture in this
country. A live Church must have COM
modious, a comfortable, an adapted building:
of Hosts! would rather be a door-keeper in
the house of my God than to dwell in the tents
of wickedness."
Again, the characteristic of live church
must lie that it is a soul-saving church. 1t
must be the old Gospel of Christ. ''Oh," say
some people, the Gospel of Christ allows but
a small swing for mans faculties, and some
men have left the ministry with that idea"
One such said to Rowland Hill: II have
left the ministry because 1 don't want to
hide my talents any longer" "Well," re-
piled Rowland Hill, II think the more you
hide your talents the better" Why, there is
no field on earth SO grand rs that which Is
open before the Gospel ministry. Have you
powers of analysis? Exhaust them here. Have
you unconquerable logic? Let it grapple with
Paurs Epistle to the Romans. Have
you strong imagination Let it dis.
course on the Psalms Of David, or
Johns Apocalyptic Vision Have you great
power of pathoss Exhaust it in telling the
Story of Saviours love. Have you bold
,tyle of thinking? Then follow Ezekels wheel,
full of eyes, s,and hear through his chapters the
rush of the wings of the seraphim. All We
who want grand field in which to work for
God, come into the Gospel ministry. At
any rate, come into Christian circles,
and somewhere and somehow declare the
grace of God Pardon for all sin. Comfort
for all trouble. Eternal life for all the dead.
o, my soul! preach it for ever. 1t has been
my ambition, and believe it has been yours,
my dear people, in these years of my
ministry, to have this Soul-saving Church,
and we never yet threw out the Gospel net
but we drew in a great multitude. They
have come, hundred at a time and two
hundred and fifty at a time; and expect
the day will appear when, in some service,
there will be thres thousand souls accepting
could tell you the circumstances
that have come under my observation
proving the fact that God has blessed the
prayers Of these people in behalf of souls I'M
mortal. could tell you of one night, when
stood at the end of the platform, and a gen.
tleman passed me, his cheek bronzed with the
sea, and as he went into the inquiry-room
he said to me: II am an Englishman."
said: 81 am very glad to see you; walk in. ="
That night he gave his heart to the Lord. 1t
was clear case of quick but thorough con-
version. Passing out at the close of the in
quiry meeting, said: "How long have you
Seen in this countryF' Hesad: 81 arrived by
! steamer this morning at eleven o'clock" L said
! "How long will you be in the city" He said
II leave tomorrow for Canada. and thence
go to Halifax, and thence to Europe, and I'll
| never ha here arain y I said. tt1 think Won